How Much Does an RN Make in Watsonville, CA in 2026?
Typical pay for RNs in Watsonville, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across California.
BLS OES May 2025 · Santa Cruz · Watsonville metro area
A typical RN in Watsonville, California earns $82.19 per hour, or $170,960 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $14,247 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $97,980, and the top 10% of earners make over $210,870.
That pay is 22% above the California figure of $140,270 and 75% above the national figure of $97,550. Watsonville ranks 6th of 24 metro areas in California for RN pay. About 1,750 RNs work in the Santa Cruz · Watsonville area. Watsonville is part of the Santa Cruz · Watsonville metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Santa Cruz share these figures.
RN pay in Watsonville at a glance
- Typical pay is $82.19 an hour, or $170,960 a year.
- That is 22% above the California figure, ranking 6th of 24 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $97,980; the top 10% make over $210,870.
- Typical pay rose +25% from 2015 to 2025, against +40% for California as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does an RN make in Watsonville?
Pay in Watsonville runs from entry-level positions at around $47.11 an hour to more than $101.38 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the California and national figures.
RN pay by career stage in Watsonville
| Career stage | Watsonville | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $97,980$47.11 an hour | $101,260$48.68 an hour | $68,940$33.14 an hour |
| First years | $122,310$58.80 an hour | $122,440$58.87 an hour | $80,330$38.62 an hour |
| Typical RN | $170,960$82.19 an hour | $140,270$67.44 an hour | $97,550$46.90 an hour |
| Experienced | $210,360$101.14 an hour | $173,170$83.25 an hour | $112,350$54.02 an hour |
| Top 10% | $210,870$101.38 an hour | $213,320$102.56 an hour | $137,470$66.09 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Santa Cruz · Watsonville area as BLS defines it
RN pay growth in Watsonville
Typical (median) annual wage for RNs in the Santa Cruz · Watsonville area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical RN pay in Watsonville was $137,300 a year. By 2025 it had reached $170,960, a change of +25%, compared with +40% for California over the same years.
How Watsonville compares with other California cities
Sunnyvale pays RNs the most in California at $216,740 a year, $45,780 more than Watsonville. The lowest-paying area in the state is El Centro at $103,450.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Watsonville | RNs employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunnyvale metro incl. San Jose · Santa Clara | $216,740 | $104.20 | +27% | 22,930 |
| 2 | Vallejo | $203,290 | $97.74 | +19% | 4,120 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $186,610 | $89.71 | +9% | 41,750 |
| 4 | Petaluma metro incl. Santa Rosa | $174,550 | $83.92 | +2% | 3,720 |
| 5 | Roseville metro incl. Sacramento · Folsom | $171,460 | $82.43 | 0% | 23,590 |
| 6 | Watsonville metro incl. Santa Cruz | $170,960 | $82.19 | this city | 1,750 |
| 7 | Yuba City | $149,320 | $71.79 | -13% | 1,080 |
| 8 | Carlsbad metro incl. San Diego · Chula Vista | $139,520 | $67.08 | -18% | 28,680 |
| 9 | San Luis Obispo metro incl. Paso Robles | $138,820 | $66.74 | -19% | 2,180 |
| 10 | Santa Maria metro incl. Santa Barbara | $137,360 | $66.04 | -20% | 3,280 |
| 11 | Long Beach metro incl. Los Angeles · Anaheim | $135,560 | $65.18 | -21% | 109,360 |
| 12 | Salinas | $134,910 | $64.86 | -21% | 3,180 |
| 13 | Stockton metro incl. Lodi | $134,580 | $64.70 | -21% | 5,460 |
| 14 | Redding | $134,350 | $64.59 | -21% | 1,720 |
| 15 | Riverside metro incl. San Bernardino · Ontario | $133,940 | $64.40 | -22% | 35,290 |
| 16 | Modesto | $132,590 | $63.75 | -22% | 4,850 |
| 17 | Merced | $131,620 | $63.28 | -23% | 1,050 |
| 18 | Thousand Oaks | $131,160 | $63.06 | -23% | 5,710 |
| 19 | Delano metro incl. Bakersfield | $128,810 | $61.93 | -25% | 5,620 |
| 20 | Hanford metro incl. Corcoran | $128,160 | $61.61 | -25% | 710 |
| 21 | Chico | $127,360 | $61.23 | -26% | 2,170 |
| 22 | Fresno | $125,420 | $60.30 | -27% | 11,030 |
| 23 | Visalia | $125,180 | $60.18 | -27% | 2,990 |
| 24 | El Centro | $103,450 | $49.73 | -39% | 950 |
Every metro area in California with RN wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · California typical pay $140,270
Is Watsonville a good place to work as an RN?
RNs in Watsonville earn a strong wage by national standards: typical pay is $170,960 a year, 75% above the national figure. For every 1,000 jobs in the Santa Cruz · Watsonville area, about 18 are RN positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 22. That makes RNs a smaller part of the local job market than usual, so employers draw from a smaller pool of qualified candidates.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an RN make in Watsonville, CA?
- A typical RN in Watsonville earns $170,960 a year, or $82.19 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $97,980 and the top 10% earn over $210,870.
- How much does an RN make an hour in Watsonville?
- Typical hourly pay for RNs in Watsonville is $82.19. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $47.11, and the top 10% earn over $101.38 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for an RN in Watsonville?
- Entry-level RN positions in Watsonville typically offer around $47.11 an hour, or $97,980 a year.
- Is RN pay in Watsonville higher than in the rest of California?
- Watsonville pay is 22% above the California figure of $140,270 a year, ranking 6th of 24 metro areas in the state. Sunnyvale pays the most in California at $216,740.